Frank "Butch" Larson (May 30, 1912 – September 1, 1983) was an American

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player and coach. He was a consensus first-team All-American at the

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position at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

in 1934. He later served as the head coach of the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

from 1949 to 1950. A native of

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, Larson graduated from

Denfeld High School Duluth Denfeld High School, also known as Denfeld High School, is one of two high schools in Duluth, Minnesota along with Duluth East as of 2011 after the closure of Duluth Central and the previous closing of Morgan Park HS in 1982. Serving over ...

. He then enrolled at the

where he played on undefeated

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teams in 1933 and 1934. The 1934 team was recognized as the national champion, and Larson was a consensus selection at the

position on the 1934 College Football All-America Team. Larson received bachelor and master of arts degrees from Minnesota. From 1936 to 1941, he was a coach at Duluth Central High School. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served in the Army Air Force and received nine battle stars. After the war, he coached the football team at Duluth Junior College. From 1949 to 1950, he was the head coach of the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He led the 1950 Blue Bombers to a 14–2 record. From 1952 to 1973, he coached the football team at International Falls High School. Larson has been inducted into the University of Minnesota Athletic Hall of Fame (2006), the Minnesota High School Coaches Hall of Fame (1977), and the Duluth Sports Hall of Fame (1982). Larson died of cancer in 1983 at the age of 71 in

International Falls, Minnesota International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census. International Falls is located on the Rainy R ...

.Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 atabase on-line Frank Larson, born 30 May 1912, died 1 Sep 1983, served in Army, enlisted 5 Aug 1942, released 28 Nov 1945.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larson, Frank 1912 births 1983 deaths American football ends Duluth Bluejays football coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers football players Winnipeg Blue Bombers coaches High school football coaches in Minnesota All-American college football players United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Players of American football from Duluth, Minnesota Coaches of American football from Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota